Classroom-centered, Multidisciplinary, and Collaborative Oral History

Prior to this assignment, I had not interviewed anyone previously — especially a working professional. The entire experience was rather interesting because, although I have come in contact with those in the service industry before, I have never analyzed their experiences on the job. While spending my initial college years grabbing food at The Porch, I came in contact with Sophie, a hardworking waitress. However, like many individuals, I merely focused on spending time with those whom I was eating with, rather than the restaurant workers themselves. I was aware of Sophie and knew she provided excellent service, but I never acknowledged the barriers to listening she faced daily.
During the interview process, Sophie frequently mentioned that communication and listening were the most important aspects of her job. If she failed to listen to her customers, they may end up unsatisfied. Additionally, the customers may not give Sophie a generous tip at the end of the meal. Sophie also mentioned that external barriers existed while she was on the job, including music playing, sports games being displayed on the televisions, and physiological barriers. If she could not listen to her coworkers or customers effectively, she may be fired for not completing her job as well as she should.
The interview process was challenging in itself. It was difficult to agree on a meeting time because we were both busy. Moreover, once we found a day, it was sort of nerve-wracking to begin the process. Sophie had never been interviewed before and I had never interviewed someone myself. My interviewee felt nervous speaking into a microphone, which may have affected the interview process. Additionally, although I had many questions prepared in advance, Sophie spoke rather quickly and our interview ended sooner than I expected and hoped for. It was challenging to think of additional questions and improvise once I went through my prepared questions. However, I believe Sophie understood that I needed a certain time length for my project and tried to answer questions more in-depth. Ultimately, the entire process was a lot easier and went a lot more smoothly than I thought it would. I learned many things about Sophie as a person, as well as the service industry in general.